Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India, was assassinated on May 21, 1991, by a suicide bomber named Kalaivani Rajaratnam (also known as Thenmozhi Rajaratnam or Dhanu), who was a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a banned Sri Lankan Tamil separatist organization. She approached Gandhi during an election campaign rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, greeted him, and then detonated an RDX explosive belt hidden under her dress, killing Gandhi and at least 14 others
. The assassination was motivated by the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's personal animosity towards Rajiv Gandhi, stemming from Gandhi's decision to send the Indian Peace Keeping Force to Sri Lanka during the Sri Lankan Civil War, which led to conflict with Tamil militant groups and alleged war crimes by Indian forces. The plot was planned and executed by LTTE operatives, including conspirators Sivarasan and Subha, who also died by suicide
. The court convicted seven persons involved in facilitating the assassination, including LTTE operatives and Indian citizens. The Supreme Court of India ruled that the killing was not a terrorist act under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) because the intention was specifically to kill Rajiv Gandhi and not to terrorize the government or public
. In summary, Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bombing carried out by LTTE operatives, primarily by Kalaivani Rajaratnam, as part of a politically motivated assassination linked to the Sri Lankan Tamil separatist conflict
